Archives for March 31, 2002

'So what did the Sabres do Saturday afternoon minus the character of their captain, enforcer and one of their top defensemen? They dominated the Philadelphia Flyers for much of the game and posted a 3-1 victory in front of 19,705 disgruntled First Union Center fans.'

'The Sabres badly outworked the Flyers in the defensive end in the opening period, forcing goalie Brian Boucher to come up with eight saves. Several were quality scoring chances by Tim Connolly, Chris Gratton and Miroslav Satan, who seems to play his best hockey against the Flyers and who finished with a goal and an assist.'

'After being outshot 11-1 in the first period in a loss at Carolina Thursday, the Flyers came out on fire against the Sabres and managed two shots on goal in the first period. That seems indicative of hesitation. Tends to fire a key player up, too.'

'Question: What's it say that with centers Jeremy Roenick, Jiri Dopita, Marty Murray and Tibbetts out of the lineup, that the Flyers recall two players from the Phantoms, and neither one of them are centers?'

'The Flyers' loss touched off a nice little debate over who should claim responsibility for the squandered two points. Coach Bill Barber pointed a finger at his players. The players weren't sure whether to point back.'